Healthcare for poor strains clinic, community

The Jesus Clinic isn't the only affordable clinic in FL feeling the burden of an increased need for services. Faced with a sputtering economy, rising healthcare costs and shrinking Medicaid budgets, faith-based, tax-supported and privately-funded clinics and hospitals are being stretched to care for the uninsured, and that cost is often passed on to consumers. Four nights a week Dr. Bill Gilmer, a handful of medical professionals and volunteers donate their time to the clinic. It has an annual operating budget of $50,000 and donates more than $1.2 million worth of care to the community each year. Gilmer is raising funds for a larger clinic that includes additional patient rooms, a dental clinic and space for minor operations. He sees his clinic as a solution to lessening the financial burden for those who often slip through the cracks.